I Became the Tyrant of a Defense Game [EN]: Chapter 676

The Forgotten Season (3)

Present.

Crossroad. North Gate.

“……”

Miller Arian, the King of Arian, who had returned with the people who had fled, stared ahead with a hardened face.

In front of the North Gate, the kings of the World Protection Front were looking at him with bewildered expressions.

Miller Arian brazenly composed his expression, then stepped forward to the kings and spoke in a calm and polite voice, unlike before.

“I wish to entrust myself to the World Protection Front once more. My soldiers, and all those who left with me, all share the same sentiment.”

“……”

“If we can defeat the Black Dragon, I will do anything. Please, give us another chance.”

“I do not know what caused this change of heart, Miller.”

Traha, stepping forward, let out a soft sigh.

“We have also decided to retreat.”

“……What?”

“We have determined that we can no longer continue the battle at Crossroad. We will retreat and move the front line north.”

The city was already bustling.

Miller’s eyes widened as he saw the people preparing to evacuate the fortress.

“No, no, no!”

Miller strode up to Traha and shouted.

“We must fight here, Traha! We must not move the front line!”

“But, Miller……”

“If we move the front line! The longer the day is gone from this world!”

Thud!

Miller knelt before the kings.

“The North will die.”

“……”

“Here, as quickly as possible……! If we do not defeat the Black Dragon! The Arian Kingdom, and all the countries of the North…… will be covered in snow and freeze to death!”

Only then did the kings understand why the people of the Arian Kingdom had returned.

“I will apologize like this.”

Miller, kneeling, bowed his crowned head.

“I will apologize for my selfish cowardice like this. So, please…… fight here.”

“……”

“Do not abandon Arian, the North…… Crossroad……!”

The kings exchanged bewildered glances.

It was a situation where they should retreat no matter how they looked at it. But hearing Miller’s words, they realized.

For now, the North would be covered in snow, but what about after that?

How many days would this world have left? Even if they ran away, wasn’t destruction already right at their doorstep?

Traha muttered in a voice mixed with lament.

“Even if we stay here…… who on earth will stop that evil dragon?”

Then,

“We will stop it.”

This time, a voice came from the city.

When everyone turned to look, the heroes of the expedition, led by Lucas, were walking towards them.

They were all injured and bandaged. But their eyes were burning with a chilling, subdued hatred.

“We have a plan, Your Majesty.”

Lucas, who bowed before the Emperor, reported in a dry, monotonous voice.

“Two more times. If we can block the breath two more times, then the Black Dragon’s main body will directly reach Crossroad.”

“……”

“Then we will kill it. The plan has been established, and we have the power, skill, and will to do it.”

After briefly explaining their plan.

Lucas glanced at Dusk Bringer, who was standing at the end of the kings’ group.

“Please, hold on two more times.”

“……”

“Whether you allow it or not, whether you abandon Crossroad or not, we will stay here anyway. And we will execute this plan.”

Lucas calmly spoke words that could be considered disrespectful to the Emperor.

“Just decide whether you will help us or not, Your Majesty.”

“……Sir Lucas.”

Traha, clicking his tongue softly, examined Lucas and his heroes.

“Is there a reason to go this far?”

What the words ‘this far’ meant was clear.

Darkness.

Lucas and the heroes who followed him were all noticeably filled with darkness. They were draped in a deep and terrible hatred and resentment that could not be found when they were with Ash.

Avenger [a person who seeks revenge]…….

Under the guise of protecting the world, they were actually pushing themselves beyond the limits of humanity, falling into darkness, to avenge Ash.

“Because the Crown Prince told us.”

When Ash’s story came up, Lucas’s voice was mixed with a beast-like fervor.

“This place is the entrance to the human world. This place is the final defense line of the world.”

Point of No Return.

If they abandoned this place. If they gave up this place.

The world would end.

Lucas could intuitively sense it. The moment the Black Dragon crossed Crossroad and went further north, there would be no more hope for humanity.

If the night grew any darker, there would be no light in this world.

“So, following his words, we are just trying to kill him here.”

“Is that really the only reason?”

“……”

“You are not just looking for a place to die, are you?”

The Emperor’s eyes met Lucas’s eyes.

The Emperor’s eyes, having lost the aura of an absolute being, were no longer golden. They were a deep black, like his son’s.

And in that place where the aura was lost, there was experience, fatigue, regret, and compassion.

“……”

Somehow, that gaze felt like that of his father, who had died long ago.

Lucas lowered his blue eyes, avoiding eye contact.

Traha, letting out a soft sigh, turned to the kings and opened his mouth.

“It is a repetition of what we said before. There is only one thing we need to decide.”

The kings’ eyes filled with determination, their teeth clenched, and their fists tightened.

“To die quickly, or to die slowly. In the end, that is all life is about.”

The kneeling people of the North.

The avengers who had entrusted themselves to the darkness.

Even the kings who were agonizing.

Traha, looking at them all once, showed his characteristic grin, revealing his teeth.

“All of you here, do you have the courage to dig your graves here and be buried together?”

***

12 hours later.

48 hours since the Black Dragon’s landing in the human world.

Thump…… Thump…… Thump……

As the massive darkness crossed the forest, the trees that touched the giant body were all uprooted and either rotted or withered and fell.

To the south of the advancing darkness, nothing could be observed anymore. A thick night had fallen, and all things were submerged in darkness.

Thump……!

At some point, the advance stopped.

The darkness slowly extended its swaying feet around it, then firmly gripped the ground.

Gooooooo……!

Following that, the air trembled, magic vibrated, and an enormous reverberation spread around.

Without a doubt, it was a breath.

The Night Bringer, the rising night, was charging its fifth breath towards the human world.

“Kuh, kuh…… ugh……!”

However, the scouts who had to inform Crossroad of this fact.

They were all collapsed and dying in the forest not far from the teleport gate.

It was because the evil energy of the Night Bringer had become too thick. All those who were watching were already on the verge of going mad or suffocating to death.

“Ah, kuh-heup, huuuuugh!”

A soldier, covered in tears and snot, lifted his convulsing arm and desperately touched the ground.

“We, have to, tell…… Crossroad, we, have to, tell……!”

The soldier bit the flesh inside his cheek instead of his lips, which had nothing left to bite. But instead of regaining his senses, he could not even feel the pain.

His arm, which was trying to crawl towards the teleport gate, lost its strength. The soldier, with his face buried in the dirt, sobbed while chewing on the soil.

“Ah, ah……”

He was afraid.

Of course, he was afraid of dying in such a place, but he was even more afraid when he imagined that the vicious darkness would trample on the powerless people above the front line.

He was afraid that his comrades’ sacrifices would become meaningless. He was afraid that the glorious days of this front line would disappear.

The soldier was a veteran scout who had participated in every battle at Crossroad since the day the Living Armor invaded after Ash’s appointment. He had witnessed all the battles this front line had fought, all the miracles it had performed.

All those days were collapsing.

That was why he was afraid, and that was why…….

“Kuhhhhh!”

After slamming his forehead into the dirt, he tried to move forward by crawling with his shoulders instead of his unresponsive arms and legs.

“Urgent, urgent, report……! Night Bringer, the next breath……!”

But, it was far.

The teleport gate was close, but with this body that would not move properly, he could not reach it. At this rate, no matter how much he struggled, it would be too late.

“Please…… Crossroad…….”

The soldier sobbed with his head buried in the dirt.

“Protect…… the world…….”

And.

Swish-

The magic stone of the teleport gate activated.

Flash-!

A flash of magical light flickered.

Thud. Thud.

Following that, the sound of footsteps approaching.

The soldier thought that he was already dead and was experiencing a hallucination, but it was not.

Someone who had approached gently placed a hand on the soldier’s shoulder.

“Shh, shh. It’s okay. Everyone’s okay.”

It was a tired, but warm voice.

“Keep your eyes closed. The darkness of that thing will contaminate your mind just by looking at it…… but it will be okay while I’m here. Take a deep breath slowly.”

Just by that person coming closer, all the scouts regained their senses. Strength returned to their unresponsive bodies.

The soldiers took rough breaths and got up. Even in the midst of it, they all kept their eyes tightly closed as the person had told them to.

If this person told them to do something, they had to do it without fail…… for some reason, it was imprinted on everyone.

“Everyone has done enough.”

The person who had patted the soldiers’ shoulders once each made the soldiers hold each other’s hands.

“From now on, leave it to me, and go back to Crossroad. The teleport gate is still working. Go and tell them about the breath.”

“……”

“Don’t open your eyes. Hold hands, that’s right. Go straight that way.”

The soldiers moved as if they were possessed by his words.

The teleport gate was right in front of them. The soldiers staggered one by one and returned to Crossroad through the teleport gate.

“Ah, and!”

The veteran scout, who was walking blankly at the end of the line, suddenly came to his senses at those words.

“Do you happen to have any cigarettes left?”

The scout hurriedly rummaged through his pockets and took out a new pack of cigarettes that he had and handed it back. The other person took the pack with a delighted expression.

“That’s it, that’s it. Thank you. I almost died from the tasteless cigarettes I picked up and smoked in that underground place. As expected, Everblack cigarettes are the best.”

“……”

In front of the rotating magic gate, the scout, who was still standing with his eyes closed, stammered and asked a belated question.

“Who…… who are you?”

“Huh?”

It was definitely a voice he had heard before. And a voice he had heard very often.

But for some reason, it felt unfamiliar, as if he was hearing it for the first time. So the scout could not figure out who the other person was.

It was a very familiar and even nostalgic voice.

Who was this person……?

“……”

Then, the other person was silent for a moment, then,

“Just…… an old man with amnesia.”

He said with a chuckle, and then pushed the scout into the teleport gate.

“Your very old comrade.”

Flash-!

A flash of magical light flickered, and after pushing the last scout into the teleport gate.

The man who turned around—Ash—skillfully tore open a new pack of cigarettes and held one in his hand. Then, with a casual gait, he swaggered towards the Night Bringer.

《……?》

In the eyes of the Night Bringer, who belatedly noticed Ash approaching, there was a mix of bewilderment, confusion, and joy.

《Player? How…… are you alive?》

“Long time no see, Black Dragon. You’ve grown quite a bit since I last saw you.”

Ash clicked his tongue as he looked at the breath that the Night Bringer was gathering.

“Don’t breathe fire in the wrong place…….”

He shook the cigarette in his hand.

“Light this cigarette for me.”

《…….》

The Night Bringer’s huge mouth, which had been gathering its breath, opened wide as if it could not hold back its laughter.